Process of manufacturing fertilizers.



UNITED STATES PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING- FERTI LIZERS N 0 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. CONNOR, a. resident of Sharpsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of Manufacturing Fertilizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of artificial fertilizers from blast furnace slag, and particularly such blast furnace slags as contain no phosphatic ingredients.

The purpose of the invention is to pro vide a process of manufacturing from blast furnace slag an odorless fertilizer having a very considerable percentage of calcium and phosphorous compounds which are water soluble, and a. further percentage of those compounds which are citrate soluble.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 9,

Patented. Dec. 7, 1915. 1913. Serial No. 794,335.

all equivalents and are to be understood as embraced. by the general term lime, as hereinafter employed in the claims.

The sodium compound is preferably soda ash on account of its cheapness and the energy of its reaction, but if desired ordinarysalt or sodium chlorid may be substituted therefor; or if preferred both sodium chlorid and sodium carbonate may be employed. All these equivalent substances are to be understood as included within the general term soda ash as used in the claims hereto appended. i

In case it is desired that the fertilizer also There are available in all countries large contain a potassium compound this is proquantities of blast furnace slag which contain'no phosphatic material, and which is available for the manufacture of an odorless fertilizer by my improved process. Such slag usually contains from thirty to forty per cent. of lime constituent, mostly in the form of a silicate, but 'a portion ex isting as calcium oxid, eighteen to twenty per cent. of iron, about nine per cent. of a calcium-magnesium compound, probably in the form of a silicate, and from seven to fourteen per cent. of magnesium salts.

In carrying out my process I make use of such slag in any form that it comes from the blast furnace, Whether granulated or in solid form, If in solid form it must be crushed to substantially the size of granulated slag, but the granulated slag is'sufiiciently fine for the"purpo'se without pre vious treatment. I In carrying out the process I add to the slag some form of phosphatic material, either phosphate rock, phosphate earth, bone phosphate, or any alkali earth containing phosphate, in order to. supply the necessary amount of this ingredient to the fertilizer.

Preferably, also, there Will be added to the mixture some form of calcium compound and some form of sodium compound.

Thecalcium compound may be of any form, either ordinary burnt lime, quicklime, or limestone. If quicklime is used it is vided by adding to, the mixture an amount of crushed or ground feldspar rock sufficient to give the desired sium compound.

. The various ingredients are mixed together in the proper proportions by means percentage of potasof any suitable mixing apparatus or by hand, and preferably in a dry state, but if moist it does not affect the process. The mixture is then fed into a rotary kiln or other suitable calcining furnace and heated from 1800 to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hours time.' The material comes from the furnace in granular form, about the size of buckwheat, is perfectly dry,

is perfectly odorless, and needs no further treatment-except to reduceit to pulverulent form, when it is ready for sacking. It con- 1 tains a very considerable percentage of lime or calcium compound and a certain percentage of phosphorous compound, such as mono-calcium phosphate (depending upon theamount of phosphatic material added), which are water soluble, and other portions of calcium compound and phosphorous compound, such as the .superphosphate,

-Ca H P O which are citrate soluble.

The proportions of material may vary within very considerable limits, depending upon the percentage of available phosphoric acid-and lime which is desired. A mixture of about 1&00 or 1500 pp unds of granular or crushed slag with from 50 to 400 pounds of the lime constituents, 50 to 400 pounds of ground phosphaterock or its equivalent, and from 50 'to400 pounds of soda ashor other sodium compound, will produce from 18 to 20 perv cent. of calcium compound which is Water soluble and from 4 per cent.

upward of water soluble phosphorous compound. The large percentage of water soluble calcium compound is a striking result of the ,process and is very important. The

" balance of the calcium compound is'nearly all citrate soluble. The water soluble calcium compound is reinforced by the very considerable percentage 1 of Water soluble phosphorous compound, and the combination when used as a fertilizer acts to draw nitrogen. and ammonia from' the' air and bringit to. the plants -It is entirely odorless and is a soil corrector. a

The amount of lime constituent to be added depends uponthe amount of ayail-' able calcium content which the final ferti-f lizer is to contain, and also upon the anv alysis of i the particular slag used. The

amount of phosphate rock will vary according to the particular analysis of the phosphate rock itself, and also according to the phosphorous compound content which the fertilizer is .to have.'-' The amount ofsodaash orsalt will vary according to the 7 amount of water soluble calcium and phosphorous compounds which it is desired to produce, while the amount of feldspar will be varied according to. the desired potassium phate rock, and soda. Slag, lime, phosphate rock,' soda, and feldspar. Slag-phosphate v rock, and soda. Slag, phosghate rock, soda,

and feldspar.

What I claimis 1. The process of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing blast I furnace slag, pho'sphatic material and soda 3. The process ash, all'in a ne condition, and then calcining the same and therebyrendering a portion of the'phosphoric acid Water soluble.

2. The process of :manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consisting-in mixing 1 blast furnace slag, 'phosphatic; material, soda ash,.

andlime, all in a fine'con dition, andthen calcining the same and therebiy rendering 1 a portion of the phosphoric aci waterf'solu- 60 ble. a

I of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consisting n mixing blast furnace slag'contalnlng calc um and magnesium salts, phosphaticjmaterial' and soda ash, all

same-and thereby rendering a portion of the calcium, magnesium and phosphoric acid water soluble.

4. The process of manufacturing artifie cialfertilizer, consisting in mixing blast 1 furnace slag containing calcium and magnesium salts, phosphatic material, soda ash, and lime all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same and thereby rendering a portion of the calcium, magnesium and phosphoric acid water soluble.

5-. vThe process of manufactui ing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing blast furnace slag containing a calcium compound, phosphatic material, soda'ash, and feldspar, all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same and thereby rendering a portion of the calcium, potassiumand phosphoric acid Water soluble.

6. Theprocess of manufacturingartificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing blast furnace slag, phosphatic material, soda ash, lime, and feldspar, all in ,a fine condition, and then. calcining the same and thereby rendering a portion of the lime, potassium and phosphoric acidwater soluble;

7. The process of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consistingin mixing blast fun nace slag, phosphatic material, lime, and feldspar, all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same and thereby rendering a portion of the lime, potassium, and, phosphoric acid water soluble. I

' 8. The process of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consistingin mixing blast fur nace slag containing a calcium compound, phosphatic material and soda ash, all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same to a temperature short of fusion and thereby rendering a portion of the calcium and phosphoric acid water soluble. 7

v 9. The process of manufacturing. artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing blast fur- .nace' slag containing a calcium compound, phosphatic material, soda ash, and feldspar, all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same to a temperature short of fusion and thereby rendering a portion of the calcium .and phosphoric acid water soluble.

1 0.The processlof manufacturing artifijcial fertilizer, consisting in mixing blast furnace slag, phosphatic materialjand soda ash in substantiallywthe proportions of from 50. to400' pounds of pho'sphatic material and soda ash to 1500'poi1nds of slag, and then calcining-the same and thereby rendering. a portion of the-phosphoric acid water soluble. 1 I i T a I, 11. The proces's'of manufacturing artificial fertilizegconsisting in mixing blast furnace slag, phosphatic material, soda ash, and lime ina finecondition, in substantially the proportions of from-50 to 400 pounds of in a fine condition, and then calcining the es:

phosphatic material, soda ash, and lime to 1500 pounds of slag, and then calcining the same and thereby rendering a portion of the phosphoricacid Water soluble. p

12. The process of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing limestone and blast furnace slag containing lime, all in a fine condition, and then calcining the same and thereby rendering said calcium compounds partly water soluble and partly 10 citrate soluble.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand.

JAMES H. CONNOR.

Witnesses: I

F WV. WINTER, WILLIAM B. WHARTON. 

